title: Effect of seminal plasma application to the vaginal vault in in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment cycles-a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study whether intravaginal application of seminal plasma after follicle aspiration has the potential to increase implantation and clinical pregnancy rates after IVF-ET.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized study of 230 patients undergoing IVF-ET cycles. 500 μL of Fresh seminal plasma from the patient's partner or culture medium (placebo) were injected in the vaginal vault just after follicle aspiration. The main outcome measured was ongoing clinical-pregnancy rate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After ET cancellation in ten patients due to lack of fertilization or embryo cleavage, 220 embryo transfers (103 and 117 in the study and control groups) resulted in a clinical pregnancy rate of 36.9 % and 29.1 % for the study and control groups, corresponding to a relative increase of 26.8 %. After an early pregnancy loss of 13.1 % (5/38) and 23.5 % (8/34) in the study and control groups respectively an ongoing pregnancy rate of 32.0 % (33/103) and 22.2 % (26/117) was achieved corresponding to a relative increase of 44.1 %. Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for study group, age, infertility, and cycle characteristics did not demonstrate any parameter that could predict occurrence of clinical pregnancy rates after IVF-ET.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients who underwent SP intravaginal insemination after oocyte pick-up reached higher implantation and clinical pregnancy rates following ET compared to controls, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. More studies and variable methodologies may clarify the potential clinical effect of SP in improving live birth rates after ART.
authors.affiliation: IVF and Infertility unit, Assaf -Harofeh Medical Center, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel. prof.friedler.s@gmail.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Friedler
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ben-Ami
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gidoni
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Strassburger
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kasterstein
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maslansky
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Komarovsy
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bern
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ron-El
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raziel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D054315:Oocyte Retrieval; D010919:Placebos; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012661:Semen; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000379:methods*; D014621:Vagina
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos